Piers Morgan has shared the full legal correspondence in his defamation lawsuit against Earl Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's younger brother, after the Earl denied legal action was being taken.
The dispute stems from the 9th Earl's memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, in which he suggested Morgan was responsible for publishing photos of Princess Diana in a leotard at a gym, taken by hidden cameras and published in the Daily Mirror in 1993.
Morgan's Response and the Earl's Apology
Morgan issued a scathing response, noting he was working at The Sun at the time and did not join the Daily Mirror until 1995. He also objected to Earl Spencer's description of him as "surly" when asked not to attend Diana's funeral.
In response, the Earl apologised, saying that as a historian, "accuracy was important to him," so he wished to "clarify that his assumption was incorrect" about Morgan's role at the Mirror. However, Spencer stood by his account that Morgan was "surly and annoyed" and that "he was not welcome at his sister's funeral."
Legal Demands from Schillings
Despite the apology, the former Good Morning Britain presenter has proceeded with legal action. In a letter from his lawyers, Schillings, they alleged: "The book contains false, defamatory, and indefensible statements about our client. You must immediately issue a retraction and take steps to prevent their continued publication."
The letter highlighted allegations that Morgan was editor of the Daily Mirror when intrusive photos of Diana were published, that he had a particular "guilt" regarding the incident, and that the paper brazenly defended the publication through the courts until it settled.
Schillings also alleged the book claims Morgan's spokesperson boasted that sales of the Sunday Mirror and Daily Mirror increased by more than 100,000 copies after the photos were published.
Demands and Next Steps
The lawyers demanded a response, a recall and suspension of further distribution of the book, and a retraction and apology on agreed terms. They also requested removal of the relevant passages from future editions, corrective slips in existing stock, an undertaking not to repeat the allegations, and payment of damages to the King's Trust plus legal costs.
